On January 5, President Barack Obama had announced executive action on United States’ gun control. During his speech, Obama became emotional while speaking about the Sandy Hook school shooting when commemorating the child’s lives lost that day. Following Obama’s announcement, there has been a number of responses by the American people. Responses ranged from supporters of his executive action to questioning the emotional sincerity of the tears he shed on the podium that day. Whichever end of the spectrum you find yourself on, it does not change the fact that gun violence is a problem that exists in our country.
The White House released a statement from the Office of the Press Secretary on January 4, which contained a fact sheet on a series of actions the Obama administration plans to take in their executive action on gun control. The three main points of action go as follows: overhauling the background check system, making communities safer from gun violence, and increased access to mental health care. While these actions may work towards a safer America, it may hardly have an affect on the general American mentality towards gun control. There is a clear split between those who support tighter gun control on the American people, and those who are up in arms (no pun intended) about the attack on their second amendment rights. The attitudes and mentalities towards guns in general contrast as well between these two different groups of people. While I do support Obama’s executive action on gun control, I firmly believe that before America sees any significant change when concerning gun control, we must reevaluate the value of guns in our society.
Under the Augustana Code of Social Conduct, “on-campus possession, use or distribution of weapons including firearms, pellet guns, air rifles, bows and arrows, and knives exceeding 3 inches in blade length or any fixed blade knife” is prohibited. Additionally, on the doors of Augustana’s campus buildings is a sign that indicates that there are no firearms allowed in the building. Despite the fact that the Augustana Campus is a gun free community in the interest of the safety of its students, faculty, and staff members, there are no rules put in place by the college for the possession of guns off campus. Even though students off campus reserve the right to their freedom from on campus residential life rules, does the ability for an off campus resident to own a gun pose a threat to the on campus community? With the imminence of Obama’s executive action on gun control, will the Augustana community, and other colleges across the country, find itself responsible to extend the prohibition of on campus gun possession to those living off campus?
It baffles me to even think about a college student owning a gun, let alone having it stored in their off campus house. It baffles me even more that it is legal for an 18-year-old college student to own a shotgun, yet it is illegal for them to shotgun a beer… Now, in all seriousness, just thinking about the age in which it is legal for an American citizen to own a gun says a lot about America’s mentality on guns. Think about the variety of intended use of guns in our American society: to hunt, to protect, to defend, but ultimately to kill. Obama can serve up executive actions against guns all he wants, but the American people must take time for some introspection on our country’s “gun culture.” We must think about the purpose and value of our guns before household assault rifles become as ubiquitous as one’s own kitchen toaster.